


Let Me Distract You

by madrastic



Series: 14 Day Quarantine [11]
Category: Original Work
Genre: Frustration, Gentleness, Hand Jobs, Hurt/Comfort, Lizardfolk, Medieval Medicine, Multi, Pain, Polyamory, Sex as a distraction, Slow Build, Teasing, This is Soft(TM), soft, well he's a dragon but its ok
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-08
Updated: 2020-07-08
Packaged: 2021-03-04 18:01:49
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,595
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25150564
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/madrastic/pseuds/madrastic
Summary: Hollyhock has never been a fan of medical care, but Ahren has a solution that might help them both. Marsh approves.Day 11: Hand jobs
Relationships: Marsh (Aconite)/Ahren (Aconite)/Hollyhock (Aconite), Original Male Character(s)/Original Non-Binary Character(s), Original Male Character/Original Male Character
Series: 14 Day Quarantine [11]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1808296
Kudos: 5
Collections: 14 Day Quarantine





	Let Me Distract You

**Author's Note:**

> Set during Book 1

Ahren had decided that he wasn’t so opposed to sex after all. It had taken him a bit of time to figure it out, but the dragon had realized it soon enough. He liked sex, and, specifically, he liked sex with his partners. Could he really help it? Hollyhock was a lean, strong half-elf with the softest hair in the world and Marsh was a Humanish with too many skills to number. It would be a travesty to keep himself from them.

That was why he had teased Holly into pushing him against the wall, the half-elf, a head shorter than him, glaring, frustrated enough that the bridge of his nose wrinkled so endearingly. His single blue eye held heaps of the emotion, making up for its partner hidden under an eyepatch. Oh, but how could Ahren help but press Holly’s buttons when they were right there, it wasn’t like Holly could ever stay angry with him for long. A blowjob and an apology later, they would be back on speaking terms.

Maybe not in such a public area, though. Ahren was no expert on public indecency, but he suspected that having his boyfriend fuck him against a wall in this inn hallway would not be the best idea. They were so close to the capital, too, it wouldn’t be good to get them all kicked out so late in their journey. Their companions surely wouldn’t appreciate it much. Ahren winced internally at the thought of that, of Marsh and Aidia’s righteous anger as the four of them were summarily asked to leave. At least this was better than being walked in on in the room.

“Now, Holly.” Yes, the rational part of his brain was right, it was better to diffuse the situation rather than let Hollyhock have his aggravated way with him, despite how much it made Ahren’s stomach feel like butterflies were fluttering around in it.

A blush crawled up Ahren’s cheeks at how he was acting, like a temperamental wyrmling, playing with Holly’s thoughts and emotions like the man was an instrument. It was just further proof of how useless he was as a person, unable to do anything right. He should have just kept his mouth shut, stopped poking at Holly’s underbelly until the man snapped at him—it had been clear that he was upset, so why couldn’t Ahren stop himself? Control himself? Maker, he was such an awful partner.

“Don’t ‘now Holly’ me.” The words slipped past gritted teeth. “And don’t make fun of my patronship.”

It was an understandable reaction, really. What Ahren had asked was if Hollyhock’s patron was sorry for giving him such extensive facial burns, and Holly had lashed out like Ahren was spending his day speculating on the marital status of his mother. Perhaps it had been the long walk today, it had been the first cold snap of the year, maybe Holly was just chilly.

Ahren sure was. The fingers of frost traced along his green scales like he was a child’s toy, exhaustion bleeding into him. It was so tempting, the urge to lay down to sleep and never wake up. At least there was a way to rouse himself, what with his partner right there. Maybe Ahren could just say the right things in the right order, and all would be well. That had never been one of his skills, but he could always try.

“I’m sorry. Truly, it was rude of me to say. I do hope you can forgive me.” Voicing his secondary hope that Holly wouldn’t notice the growing wetness between Ahren’s legs, the blush rose on his cheeks as the tip of his cock slipped out of his sheath. Why, at this most inopportune time?

With a sigh, Holly dropped his gaze to where his palms pressed against the wood of the wall, shoulders a tense line. “Fine. Sorry I snapped. It was just a question.”

“Is everything alright?” He sounded like a child, asking for information he was not privy to. Why couldn’t Ahren do anything right.

“I just…” Holly’s lip curled as he tried to think of the words. “My leg hurts, is all. I think I tripped over something and it’s been bothering me.”

Blinking, Ahren resisted the urge to gape like an infant. All day, Hollyhock had been a touchy, tightly wound spring, all because his leg was hurting, and he didn’t want to bring it up to his medic. Maker above, were all humanoids like this? Why had he not simply asked for a break while Marsh checked him out to make sure nothing was wrong? It was common sense; they would all be willing to pause and take a break instead of forcing the man to walk on it more.

Carefully, Ahren swept a strand of Holly’s hair out of his face, ignoring the corner of his mind that screamed at him for his boldness. Maybe Ahren could ask Marsh for some help with filing down his claws—it would be a shame to accidentally hurt anyone and it wasn’t as if Ahren were using them for much of anything.

Green eyes met one blue. “Why didn’t you say anything?”

Holly winced, shoulders drifting ever up. “I… um… it wasn’t important.” He backed up and Ahren could see him suppress a limp.

“How about we go see Marsh about it? You two are sharing a room, are you not?” Taking a step forward, Ahren let his hands rest on Holly’s hips, feeling the warmth of his body through the man’s shirt.

That scrunched up Holly’s expression further. “They’re going to be angry with me, I’d rather not.”

“And if I made it worth your while?” Ahren’s face burned as he said it, toying with the hem of his boyfriend’s jacket. “I’m sure Marsh wouldn’t mind if that happened.”

Wide, confused eyes searched Ahren’s face for any hint of deception, astounded that the dragon would even consider  _ suggesting _ something like that. It didn’t help Ahren’s swirling thoughts, this was far from what respectable dragons did, especially those born properly. His mother would have his head for this, quite literally. He was becoming like his father, so eager to leap into someone’s bed. It was disgraceful, Ahren was just smearing his family’s name.

“Okay.” The concession was quiet, as if Holly was worried about an argument breaking out.

Ahren shoved himself back to the present, picking Hollyhock up to cradle him in his arms. “In that case, allow me to help you. It would be a shame if you had to suffer more.”

With a blush and a small, unsuccessful wiggle, Hollyhock accepted his new prison of scales and cuddles as Ahren took him into the room they had rented for the night, depositing the pale half-elf on the bed as the Humanish looked up from their book. Placing it down at the desk they were sitting at, Marsh gave the two a confused look. They had tied their copper hair back, the orange light of the lantern playing with the bronze shades of their skin.

As Ahren took off Holly’s boots for him, Marsh stood, pacing around the pair. “What happened? Did Holly fall?”

Holly folded his arms as he was taken care of by his partner. “Ahren is  _ insisting _ that you look at my ankle.”

“He says it’s been hurting him all day.” The dragon’s words were calm and concise, this was an important medical issue. “I wouldn’t want it to get any worse.”

Tilting their head, Marsh perched on the edge of the footboard. “Did you twist it recently?”

“I snagged it on a root last night, it’s fine.” Holly tucked his unhurt leg up, bending it at the knee to run his hands along the worn fabric of his pants.

Decidedly unamused, Marsh grabbed the lantern and sat on the bed, giving the light to Ahren to hold. Oh, it was warm and lovely and Ahren was certainly not going to be complaining. Tugging his own boots off with one hand, he settled in behind Hollyhock, resting the man’s back on his chest and his hips against Ahren’s waist. At Marsh’s quizzical look, Ahren ducked his head, nudging Holly’s hair with his snout, trying to hide.

“I promised a distraction for this.” His face was burning. Surely there was some sort of cure for that. “Hollyhock was not one for medical attention or care.”

A sly grin slid across Marsh’s face. “I see. Well, begin your distraction, I’ll just start on my work. Make sure you hold still, Holly.”

As they picked up their medical kit, Ahren got to unlacing Holly’s pants. The half-elf blushed, trying to pretend he was still cross with his boyfriend as a scaled palm ran over the front of his smallclothes. Pressing his snout to the top of Holly’s head in the approximation of a kiss, Ahren put some pressure onto Holly’s cock, enjoying the heat of the man against his body. Now this, this was the lap of luxury, to have a boyfriend act as a heater when the weather turned. If only Marsh was not busy, then Ahren would have been flung into the afterlife in an instant.

The medic sat back onto the bed, drawing Holly’s foot into their lap. Now that Marsh was examining it, Ahren could see some angry-looking bruising over the ankle, the joint swollen and unhappy. As careful fingers gently prodded at it, Hollyhock flinched, letting out a whine. It made Ahren’s heart hurt, to see Holly in pain. He provided the promised distraction, rubbing lightly at Holly’s cock through his underclothes as Marsh made small, soothing sounds.

“You’re alright, Hol, you’re okay.” They frowned. “You let me know when it hurts a lot, alright? I need to test the range of motion.”

“Do you  _ have _ to?” Holly squirmed, as if that would make them stop.

A look from his partner silenced him. “Yes, I do. Now, if you sit still and answer my questions, I’ll give you a back rub later, okay?”

Quite a reward, that was. Ahren could see the cogs turning in Holly’s head, weighing the pain with the pleasure. There was already a hand down his pants, it  _ would _ be nice to have more on him. The journey had not been the easiest, and Holly was always complaining of aches and pains, having gotten on his way two months prior to Marsh and Aidia.

“Fine.” Settling in, he made sure to rub his ass against Ahren’s crotch in the most maddening way.

A squeeze on his dick, firm and satisfying, was how Ahren retaliated. The organ was waking up, beginning to stiffen under Ahren’s ministrations. It was so fascinating how unlike each other the two of them were, Ahren with his egg channel and sheathed cock, Holly with his eternally everted dick and testicles. Exploring each other’s bodies was always interesting.

“Good.” Marsh hummed, resuming their efforts. “Let me know when it hurts.”

Frustrated, Holly interrupted before Marsh could do anything to his leg. “It already hurts.”

“Would you like some all-natural painkillers?” They asked, raising an eyebrow.

At Holly’s nod, Marsh gestured to Ahren. “Well, nurse, what are you just sitting around there for? The man needs a distraction and a painkiller.”

Well, that certainly didn’t sound right to Ahren’s ears. “Does… do carnal acts suppress pain?”

That would be something else entirely. It was ridiculous that something so vulgar could have medicinal properties, right? The last thing that Ahren expected to find in hospitals and medical wards would be things of a sexual nature. Surely, these concepts were restricted to strictly anatomical and educational purposes, not medicinal.

“Sexual activity and orgasm can release neurotransmitters that reduce the pain response, yes. It also releases hormones that can help a person relax and sleep better. Knowing Holly, he needs it.” It was so matter of fact, the way Marsh said it, as if Ahren had understood a single word.

“I sleep perfectly fine.” Holly said, like he knew any of the medical terms Marsh had used. “It’s this lug—” he jerked his head to Ahren, “snoring next to me that keeps me up.”

Flapping his mouth, Ahren tried to regain some dignity. “I do  _ not _ snore!”

“You do too.”

“I do not!”

Marsh stopped the argument quickly with a clap of their hands. “Both of you snore. That’s why you’re such a good pair for each other.”

The calm before the storm was laced with indignation as the two of them struggled to find a suitable retort to their partner. Their medic shushed them, though, refocusing back on the limb in their hand. As they flexed Holly’s foot back, the man yelped, jerking away in an attempt to alleviate the pain. It was always easier when one controlled pain, walking was repetitive and regular. This was not.

Tutting, Marsh lightly patted Hollyhock’s calf. “Okay, okay. I’m sorry. Here, what if I give Ahren something to help with the  _ distracting _ .” Right. That was what Ahren was supposed to be doing. “You’re okay, it’s only going to hurt for a little bit, I promise.”

With careful motions, making sure to support Hollyhock’s ankle, the Humanish reached into their pack, pulling out a vial of a clear green something. Handing it to Ahren, they also pulled out some sort of ointment and bandages, settling in for the long haul. As Ahren uncorked the bottle, he was met with the thick smell of aloe and olive oil, the undercurrent of something musky and sweet. This was different from what Hollyhock normally used, a pale gel and oil mixed together, cloying smell lingering for what felt like hours.

The half-elf didn’t seem to mind, his cock twitching in Ahren’s hand as he caught a whiff, body fully aware of what it meant. As Ahren poured a bit out into his palm, Hollyhock wiggled out of his pants and smallclothes, pushing the offending articles of clothing down his thighs as he placed a towel under his now bare ass. How smart, not getting any on the sheets beneath them.

Marsh just rolled their eyes, a fond smile on their face. “Ready? I still need to figure out if this is a bad sprain that  _ someone’s _ been walking on or a mild dislocation.”

“Yep, just be careful.” Brushing a bit of hair out of his face, Holly nuzzled back against Ahren. “I said it was fine, and look, it is.”

“So fine you can’t put weight on it. Ahren, please.”

When Marsh nodded at him, Ahren closed his scaled hand around Holly’s half hard cock, drawing a gasp out of the half-elf. He was always the most vocal out of all of them, and, as he watched Marsh manipulate his ankle, he couldn’t help the little whimpers he let out as Ahren slowly moved his fist up and down Holly’s shaft, swiping his thumb over the head as he passed it. Chewing on his lip, Hollyhock’s hands grabbed Ahren’s free arm, an outlet for all the shifting and squirming he wasn’t allowed to do.

“How’s this, Holly? Does this hurt?” Marsh asked as they flexed his foot forward slightly.

The man nodded, muscles in his thighs jumping with the effort to hold still. “Uh-huh.”

“A lot?” Returning his foot to a resting position, Marsh let their hands drift around his ankle again, careful fingers making sure that nothing was broken. A break could be disastrous.

“A medium amount.”

They hummed. “I can work with a medium amount. What about this?”

As they pushed Holly’s foot into his other, he flinched, yelp sounding exactly like a dog’s. “A lot—that hurts a lot—a  _ lot _ , Marsh.”

“Okay, okay.” His medic soothed, straightening the joint again. “There we are, you’re doing such a good job Holly, such a good job for me.” Ahren could feel the way the praise made Holly’s cock grow ever harder. “All done with the diagnostics. It’s a bad sprain. Do you know what that means?”

“I can keep going and we’ll get to the capital on time?” He didn’t even believe his mumble himself.

Marsh’s voice was the calm, soothing thing of a medical professional. “No, because if you do that, I’ll kill you myself. This means that you get to stay in bed and keep this ankle elevated. Do you know what  _ else _ that means?”

A head shake.

“It means that after I finish dressing your wound and Ahren finishes jerking you off, you’re going to roll onto your stomach and I’m going to fix your back again. Now, let’s get on with this because you’re about to hate this.” That last bit was said quickly enough that Ahren had to laugh, a high, hiccupping thing that ended in a snort.

“My apologies, my apologies.” It was a miracle that he got himself under control at all. “Yes, let’s get on with this.”

Speeding up marginally and snaking his hand under Holly’s shirt, Ahren’s chest swelled with the pleased little noise his half-elf made, flush darkening. Placidly, Marsh applied an ointment to Holly’s ankle, something meant to make the swelling go down and numb the pain, before beginning to wrap it tightly to immobilize the joint. Not that Holly could pay enough attention to complain. Ahren had a job, and he was going to do it well. The last thing they wanted was their dear patient to focus on Marsh well enough to protest.

Hollyhock’s breathing was growing faster as he made little, aborted bucks into Ahren’s hand, the dragon’s other toying gently with his nipples. It was so lovely how humanoids had these little spots that made them squirm right on their chests, buttons begging to be pushed. Blowing hot breath over the tip of Holly’s ear, a smile spread across Ahren’s face at his boyfriend’s whimper, eyes unfocused as his body tried to catch up to what was happening, a million things demanding his focus at once as Marsh asked him questions, shifting to another just as Holly responded. It was a  _ very _ good distraction measure, Ahren had to say.

“You’re doing such a good job.” They hummed, finishing up with the wrappings as Ahren—very carefully—nibbled on the tip of Holly’s pointed ear. “Doesn’t that feel so much better?”

Nodding, Holly pawed at Ahren’s hand, begging for him to go faster. As his ankle was elevated, Hollyhock moaned, resting the crown of his head against the top of Ahren’s chest. Oh, how could Ahren deny a face like that, so eager and so pleading? How could Ahren leave his boyfriend, the man he loved so dearly, to suffer desperation?

The man shuddered and groaned at Ahren’s touch, panting hard as his back arched. Marsh certainly wasn’t one to slow the process down, narrating just how well they thought Hollyhock was doing with a verbosity that was quite unlike them. It seemed that the little medic was a fan of letting his lovers know how appreciated they were, how beautiful this or that was. Who was Ahren to fault them, to say no to telling their partner just how much they loved them.

With a cry, Hollyhock tipped over the edge, cum splattering over Ahren’s hand and onto the towel beneath. Ahren had entirely forgotten about his own erection, trapped between his and his boyfriend’s bodies. That was fine, though. There would be time for that later. Marsh likely wouldn’t mind if Ahren took himself in hand while they worked on Hollyhock.

Now there was a man that was a mess. Holly was panting, eyes wide, looking at his artfully bandaged ankle, propped up on a couple of pillows like he was surprised that time had passed. It was quite endearing, really, if Ahren could put the growing need between his legs, no longer content to be ignored, out of his head. Marsh beamed at him, pressing a kiss to their boyfriend’s calf as they wiped the ointment residue off of their hands.

“You did wonderful, Holly.” Ahren cooed in his ear, licking a fond stripe up the shell.

That bright blue eye glanced up at him, dilated wide. “Are we done?”

Marsh’s laugh broke through the air. “Yes, we’re done, now roll over so I can do your back and Ahren can jerk off.”

“T-that’s quite a vulgar term to use—” Ahren found himself saying, cheeks stained an even darker green than when he had given his boyfriend a hand job.

A lifted eyebrow was enough to silence him on the matter. As Hollyhock rolled over, freeing Ahren, the dragon eased to the edge of the bed, commandeering the towel. For all Hollyhock complained about his own ejaculate, Ahren was sure that this inn would not be eager to clean dragon fluids out of their sheets. Outside of the Moonraker range? There were precious few that were skilled in the ways of removing  _ that _ without leaving unsightly splotches. Marsh had a few shirts worth of experimenting to attest to that, though it wasn’t like either of them were thinking about that as Holly stripped out of his shirt, pressing a kiss to Marsh’s lips.

They were going to be annoyed with Ahren for getting Holly all riled up when they got tired, but that was a problem for later. For now, Ahren just had to convince himself that it was alright to take himself in hand and stroke himself to the sight of his partners, one of which getting a backrub and making all sorts of tantalizing noises into the bed. Dragons were meant to be pure and noble… oh well.

**Author's Note:**

> liked these characters? see more of them in [Aconite!](https://archiveofourown.org/works/21825511/chapters/52086310)


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